“I thought he was really cute and so sweet, so I pretended to be bad at chemistry so he could tutor me,” Emily Fine shares of her first memories of Andrew Sondreaal in their junior year of high school. “We had an instant connection... The rest is history!”

Years later, Andy proposed to Emily under the guise of a friend’s birthday celebration in the Hollywood Hills. When Emily arrived, she followed flower petals through the house to a candlelit balcony overlooking the sunset. “Andy popped the question, and I couldn’t say yes fast enough,” she recalls. The night unfolded into a surprise celebration when friends and family arrived to toast the newly engaged couple together.

When it came to planning their fall wedding, Emily and Andy chose Malibu, California, a location close to home that allowed them to celebrate alongside their community. With 145 guests in attendance, the ceremony began at 4:30 p.m., followed by a seated reception that carried on until just before midnight.

Wedding planning unfolded with the help of Tessa Brand of Tessa Lyn Events, whom Emily describes as “so resourceful, talented, and brilliant.” She adds, “Everything she suggested, I always said yes… and I’m so glad.” Trusting her planner to create their dream wedding day, Emily always remembered one piece of advice throughout the process: “Once all the planning is done and handled, there’s nothing more you can do at that point, so don’t stress about things out of your control.”

That mindset shaped one of Emily’s most cherished memories of the celebration. “Another piece of advice I got from someone was to walk to the back of our venue with my husband in the middle of the reception and just look at everyone enjoying themselves,” she shares. “I’m so thankful to have taken that advice because that’s the memory that is forever engrained in my mind.”

The overall look of the day was designed to feel “timeless and whimsical,” brought to life through soft florals in white, ivory, antique blush, pale peach, and dusty pink, accented with greenery as well as brass and gold details.

“It was truly the best day and everything was so perfect.”

As the couple wanted their guests to have a world-class experience, the cuisine played a central role in the day, reflecting the couple’s priorities. Guests enjoyed an avocado citrus salad, followed by entrée selections including slow-braised beef short ribs, seared Chilean sea bass, or vegan lasagna. Dessert was a delicious vanilla wedding cake with strawberries and cream and buttercream frosting topped with the original wedding cake topper of the bride’s parents.

To honor their heritage and faith, Jewish traditions were thoughtfully incorporated throughout the nuptials. The couple signed a ketubah, and Andy broke the glass during the ceremony. Emily also wore heirloom pieces that carried deep meaning: “a diamond tennis bracelet that my dad gave my mom on their 10th wedding anniversary, my mother’s diamond earrings, and my great-grandma’s necklace pendant around my wedding bouquet.”

One of the most meaningful moments came just after the ceremony. “Tessa politely asked everyone to stay back and just let Andy and I have a moment together alone,” Emily remembers. “We got upstairs and started uncontrollably crying tears of happiness.” That private pause became a defining memory. “So many happy emotions… [we] cannot thank Tessa enough for giving us that moment we didn’t think we needed.”

As the evening continued, music took center stage. The couple curated a playlist filled with ’70s music and ’80s favorites, culminating in a silent disco during the final hour of the reception. “Everyone had the best time,” Emily shares, noting that their wedding guests still talk about the fun addition as one of their favorite memories from the night.

Looking back, there is nothing Emily and Andy would change. “It was truly the best day and everything was so perfect,” the bride affirms. Her advice to other couples is grounded in perspective: “Always remind yourself as much as necessary that your day is about you and the love of your life committing to each other for forever, and nothing else matters.”